Ask Irish actor Cillian Murphy why people are so fascinated by paranormal activity, and his answer seems ripped straight from the script of his latest film, Red Lights. "I did quite a bit of research and read about it, and it's this need to believe. It struck me that really logical, rational, intelligent people will put aside reason and they'll believe in this," he says, salt-and-pepper strands bouncing as he shakes his head. The film, directed by Rodrigo Corté s and starring Robert De Niro and Sigourney Weaver alongside Murphy, follows a team of scientists who debunk everything from ghost whisperers to psychics. Although there is some hocus pocus that goes on—including a The Sixth Sense-style twist that will send jaws dropping—what Murphy sees as the best part about Red Lights are the characters themselves.

"It's got to be about the human aspect of it and the emotions of it and the honesty; the primary ambition is to make the character a real human being," he enthuses, adding, "With great characters and real people, they're not instantly disposable characters." The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, but hits national theater on July 13.

Name: Cillian Murphy

Age: 36

Provenance: Cork, Ireland

Relationship Status: Married

Why it's hard to find good films these days: "I just read [the script to Red Lights] and loved it. What I did like about it was that I couldn't predict the way it was going. A lot of scripts you read these days, unfortunately, you can tell pretty quickly where the film is going to go. It's always a good sign when you don't know what's going to happen. And I didn't know with this—and that was exciting, it was refreshing."

On doing his own "stunts": "I had to learn little magic tricks and stuff, that was kind of cool. [I learned them] on YouTube and with this magician in Spain, who I hung out with."

What he's looking for in a…script: "It depends on the project, but obviously my two constants are always to try to be brave and push yourself, but also not to try and repeat yourself. Sometimes you achieve it and sometimes you don't."

Battling the creepy-guy tag: "I played the villain in two out of 35 films, so I feel like it's not something that I've done more than I should have done. I feel like I play heroes and boyfriends and all of that. And that's what you should do—it should be a variety."

Vegas as a learning experience: "In the movie De Niro's character was kind of an amalgam; he's got the David Copperfield, Criss Angel vibe, [but] he's also got this sort of televangelist vibe. So I wanted to see the showbiz side of it, so I saw Copperfield and Criss Angel, and I met Copperfield briefly. [The shows] are great, I love it, but it's harmless fun, you know? When people are being more vulnerable and being taken advantage of, that's when it starts to get shady."

On seeing himself onscreen: "I try to watch my own films as little as I can, but I love the reaction that people are having [to Red Lights] because people get really excited by it and have very strong opinions. That's good, in my opinion."

Why he wants to be happy like De Niro and Weaver: "They still have a great joy for [acting]. It's not a big budget film, we made it in Spain, they were only there for one reason, which is to do the work and play the character. It's very hard to not resort to cliché talking about them, but they were so generous and warm and supportive of me, and they're legends, you know?"